1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to apparatuses and methods that can be used to stack chips. Such apparatuses and methods may be used, for example, to sort gaming chips by color, size, or any other distinguishing feature, to count the sorted gaming chips, and to stack the sorted and counted chips for reuse in a game.
2. State of the Art
Various sorting and stacking devices for gaming chips have been presented in the art. For example, United Kingdom Patent Publication No. GB2061490A, published May 13, 1981, discloses a chip sorting and stacking device that sorts chips according to their color. A hopper is used to feed chips into holes provided on a conveyor belt. The conveyer belt causes the chips to pass several stations, each of which is configured to receive chips of a particular color. As each chip passes each station, a photoelectric detector is used to ascertain whether the color of the chip corresponds to the particular color designated for that particular station. If it does, a mechanism is used to press the chip through an opening into a storage compartment. An additional conveyor belt is used to deliver a desired number of chips from the storage compartment to a person operating the chip sorting and stacking device.
As another example, United Kingdom Patent Publication No. GB2254419A, published Jul. 10, 1992, describes another chip sorting and stacking device. A hopper is used to feed chips individually into formations or spaces positioned proximate the periphery of a disc that is inclined at an acute angle to the horizontal. As the disc is spun about its central axis, the chips are carried along an arcuate path to a location at which a deflector is used to move the chips from the disc to a conveyor. The conveyor carries the chips to an array of chip ejectors that are used to eject each chip carried by the conveyor into one of a plurality of chip-stacking columns. A sensor is used to identify a particular characteristic of each chip, such as color, and a microprocessor is used to determine which chip ejector is to be actuated to cause each chip to be ejected into the appropriate chip-stacking column corresponding to the particular chip characteristic exhibited by each respective chip.
As yet another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,381,294 to Britton, issued Apr. 30, 2002, discloses a chip-stacking device in which a hopper is used to feed chips to a conveyor, which carries the chips past a color sensor and a subsequent linear array of solenoids, which are used to transfer each chip into an appropriate stack. The conveying and sorting speed of the chip sorting and stacking device is controlled based on the number of chips in the hopper and conveyor, as determined using a detector.
In each of the chip-stacking devices described above, the chips are sorted by an identifying characteristic and arranged in corresponding stacks, from which the chips may be removed by a croupier or other person using the chips in a game.